Chapter 100

"Father, don't send me to the palace! I won't participate in the imperial concubine selection!" Ding Caiwei pleaded desperately.

Today she went to the Grand Princess's residence and met Emperor Chengyuan and Rongrong. She knew that with a beauty like Rongrong, Emperor Chengyuan would never look at anyone else. Entering the palace through the imperial concubine selection would only lead to her death.

Originally, given the current decline of the Marquis's mansion and her father's low official rank, she was not qualified to attend the Grand Princess's banquet.

But Princess Changning liked her, befriended her, and thought of her in everything, which is why she invited her over.

"Little sister, when did you become so insecure?" Ding's eldest brother said disapprovingly. "With your talent and beauty, you're sure to be the most favored concubine!"

Like the Marquis of Yongning, Ding Caiwei's brother also hoped to marry her off to a high-ranking family so that she could have a better future, and he was equally confident in her.

It's no wonder these two were confident; Ding Caiwei's beauty had already spread throughout the capital, and she was even known as the most beautiful woman in the capital.

"Impossible!" Ding Caiwei shook her head repeatedly. "No one can compare to the new empress!"

"You've seen it?" Marquis Yongning asked urgently.

Ding Caiwei nodded, her expression momentarily dazed as she thought of Rong Rong, whom she had seen during the day.

"Who is it?" Marquis Yongning, his heir, and his wife all looked at Ding Caiwei anxiously.

Ding Caiwei murmured, "Lady of the Marquis of Jiangyang."

"What?" Three exclamations rang out.

After their initial surprise, the three of them remembered the identity of the Lady of Jiangyang Marquis and burst into laughter. "Then there's even less to worry about. She's just an orphan!"

Marquis Yongning's heart burned even brighter, feeling as if heaven was on his side. If his daughter were to gain favor in the future, considering that the orphan girl had managed to persuade Emperor Chengyuan to accept the new woman, he could allow his daughter to spare her life.

Marquis Yongning laughed heartily, his greedy smile making his face contort in a ferocious expression.

"No! That's not how it is! The Lady of Jiangyang is as beautiful as a fairy, and my daughter is not even one ten-thousandth as beautiful as her..." Ding Caiwei hurriedly explained, only to be met with a sneer from the Marquis of Yongning.

"The legitimate daughter of a noble family is not as good as a peasant girl?"

"She wasn't an ordinary peasant girl, she..."

"Enough!" Marquis Yongning roared. "So what if she's beautiful? She's all looks and no talent, no virtue, no vision. Sooner or later, His Majesty will despise her, and she's unfit to be Empress!"

"Just wait for your father to send you to the palace. Once His Majesty has abandoned her, Caiwei may become the Empress."

Marquis Yongning burst into laughter.

"No! Father!" Ding Caiwei wanted to persuade him again, but Marquis Yongning was already impatient. He didn't believe that the orphan girl was that beautiful, and thought it was just an excuse for his daughter not to enter the palace.

"Guards, take the young lady back to her room. Without my permission, she is not to step out of the room!" Marquis Yongning coldly ordered, then waved his sleeves and left.

Ding Caiwei looked to her mother for help, but Lady Hou looked away.

Similar things happened in the families of many ministers. Who wouldn't want an empress or a favored concubine to emerge from their family? Who wouldn't want their family's blood to flow in the next emperor's veins?

The ministers were planning to submit a memorial to the emperor the next day, urging him to hold a harem selection so that they could send their daughters into the palace.

Of course, some people had heard their daughters or wives say that the future empress was very beautiful, but no one took it seriously. Just as Marquis Yongning thought, an orphan girl with no talent, no foresight, no powerful maternal family, and who only relied on her beauty to serve men, was not going to amount to anything.

Those ladies who had visited the Grand Princess's residence all tried their best to persuade their husbands to stay, while those who hadn't were all ambitious.

Previously, His Majesty did not give them a chance, but now that His Majesty has put aside the issue of seniority and is willing to remarry, they are bound to enter the palace to compete for this immense wealth and honor, and it would be best if they could give birth to a prince.

The Crown Prince also learned that the Emperor was going to marry a new Empress, and his anger surged instantly, feeling that his father had let her down.

The Crown Prince had forgotten how much he had hoped his father would move on from his heartbreak and accept other women.

At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind: he would never allow anyone to take her place!

The Empress's throne can only belong to her!

Why couldn't Father Emperor stay by her side for the rest of his life?

The Crown Prince's expression was cold and gloomy. He had no goodwill towards the future Empress and was even convinced that she had used tricks to persuade his father to make her Empress.

Because no one would be willing to betray the order of precedence!

Yes! There must be more to it than meets the eye!

The crown prince immediately got up and went to the palace.

He went straight to Emperor Chengyuan's sleeping quarters, the Hall of Supreme Harmony. He had inquired about the situation and knew that the woman lived in the same hall as his father.

When he arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony and heard that his father was not there, but only that woman was, the Crown Prince felt that the timing was perfect.

His eyes darkened, and he strode aggressively toward the inner courtyard, his body radiating a palpable killing intent.

He didn't mind killing the other party directly, nor was he worried, believing that as long as he mentioned the late empress, his father wouldn't blame him.

I could hear voices even before I reached the courtyard.

It was a soft, clear, and sweet voice.

In addition, it has a unique charm that is hard to describe. In short, just hearing about it can make people's hearts flutter and even conjure up an image of an exceptionally beautiful woman in their minds.

The prince unconsciously slowed his pace, but the pleasant sound suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a beautiful guqin melody.

In the quiet night, the autumn breeze caressed my face, and the rustling of flowers and plants in the yard added a touch of life to the night.

The moving melody, with its ancient charm, instantly penetrates the depths of one's soul.

The prince bypassed the path and came to the edge of the woods, looking towards the pavilion in the distance.

Under the silvery moonlight, a woman dressed in a flowing, wide-sleeved dress sat alone, her head bowed as she plucked the strings of a zither.

The prince could not see her face or her expression; he could only clearly see her slender, white fingers sweeping across the strings.

With just one glance, the Crown Prince froze on the spot, his mind a jumble of thoughts, the specifics of which were unknown.

Before the prince could even process what was happening, the woman in the pavilion quietly raised her head and looked up at the night sky.

The prince's breath hitched, a flash of white light appeared before his eyes, and everything around him vanished instantly, leaving only that familiar beauty in the world, her colors growing ever more vibrant.

It's her! It's actually her! How could it be her?

The woman was clearly the same person as the portraits of the two women, and in fact, she was even more beautiful and captivating than the portraits of the two women!

A wave of ecstasy washed over me, and the deep regret I had felt before finally dissipated.

The prince gazed silently at the woman beneath the pavilion, his heart unable to find peace for a long time.

Until a sound came from the side.

"Miss Rong." A maid came over, and the Crown Prince silently turned around and left without a sound.

"It's chilly at night, Your Majesty, please return to your chambers."

"Li Tianyi hasn't returned yet?"

"His Majesty has asked the Empress to rest first."

......

The prince walked further and further away, and the two men's voices grew softer and softer until they could no longer be heard.

Miss Rong, it seems the late Empress had the surname Rong, is it really her?

The prince's heart pounded like thunder, a mixture of excitement, exhilaration, and an overwhelming urge to roar out in catharsis.

And she actually called her father, Emperor Li Tianyi. Is she the only one in the world who dares to call her father by his name?

Just as her father had described, she was spoiled and incredibly pampered.

The crown prince smiled silently, a sweet feeling inexplicably welling up in his heart.

If it were him, he would spoil her even more than her father, to the point that he wouldn't care if she acted lawlessly!